


Tum jo aaye zindagi mein

by Lavanyaa



Series: What's meant to be will always find a way. [1]
Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: Boyfriends, Cute, First Meetings, Fluff, Love, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:01:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23873611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavanyaa/pseuds/Lavanyaa
Summary: "So, Aman. What brought you to the market of Delhi? I've never seen you there before." said Kartik, chewing his onion bonda and drinking his tea."How do you know that? I could have been there yesterday." answered Aman, raising his eyebrows as he stared at Kartik, waiting for him to explain.Another version of how the first meeting of Kartik and Aman went :).
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi
Series: What's meant to be will always find a way. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1733971
Comments: 187
Kudos: 198





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo hii.
> 
> This was supposed to be a little one shot but now it's a 14k+ words multi chap fic... Oops. 
> 
> I don't know how many chapters this fic is gonna have because I still have a few more scenes to write before completing this fic. But I am gonna finish writing it soon so I'll add the number of chapters later. 
> 
> I will update weekly, every Monday. 
> 
> Enjoy ^^

Aman hated this. He didn't even know what he was doing at the market. He was supposed to visit the city, since he had been in Delhi for a few days but hadn't even gotten out of his hotel room for two days. His mom had been worried and Aman told her he would go out and wander around the city today. Now he was in this market, which, apparently to Keshav's research, was pretty popular in Delhi. Aman had been bored and he hadn't known where he was going when he stumbled into the crowd. The market place was huge and full of people and he wanted to scream in annoyance already. He had never been the one to enjoy other people's company, and it wasn't going to change now that he was in a new city. 

He had tried to get out of the market but when he had turned one side he was pushed by people to the other side and he found himself in front of a new stand. Aman was slowly losing his patience, his head hurt, his feet hurt, he felt a little too cold and he knew it was gonna rain soon because the universe never gave him a chance to have a good day. He wouldn't be surprised if this day turned out to be his worst day ever. Not only was he in a new place without his family, he also didn't know anyone. He had some people who recommended him a few places to check out so he could live in a nice place instead of his hotel room, but they weren't his friends. Aman didn't have friends. 

And of course, as if the universe heard his thoughts, Aman collided against someone else and he lost his balance. Aman swore, loudly and mentally as he felt himself pushed back by a strong body. 

One second Aman was walking toward the vegetable stand and the next, he felt a weight collapse against him, and pushing him down, his back hitting the wet ground. 

Aman groaned and was so ready to throw insults at whoever was on top of him, but his words got stuck in his throat as soon as his eyes landed on the man above him. 

His eyes were wide and his mouth was moving but Aman couldn't hear anything, all he could do was to stare and get lost in the man's gaze. It took him a few seconds or maybe even embarrassing long minutes before Aman's mind cleared out the confusing fog and words reached him. 

"- I am so so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" 

"Uh?" asked Aman, obviously not in the mindset to form a proper sentence. 

Aman didn't know why, maybe it was because he couldn't look away or maybe because his mouth was open wide, but suddenly the man above him grinned, falling silent, his eyes staring into Aman's, before his eyes moved to his lips, to come back to gaze into his eyes again. 

That grin made Aman react, he blinked a few times and cleared his throat and pushed himself up as the guy moved away from him. He stood up and cleaned his hands on his pants from the dirt not caring he was ruining it. His clothes were already ruined anyway. 

"I am sorry. I promise I didn't do it on purpose." said the man, the grin disappearing and looking genuinely sorry. 

"Uh… It's okay." replied, avoiding the person's eyes, wincing uncomfortably when he felt the back of his shirt sticking to his skin. 

"Oh shit. Your shirt. Here. Put this on." said the man, who was now right in front of him. Before Aman could say no, he took his jacket off and put it around Aman, on his shoulders. Aman shifted around and awkwardly thrust his arms into the arms of the jacket while the other man helped him by holding the collar.

Aman wrapped his arms around himself, as he felt as if he was drowning in the man's jacket. He winced and pulled his hand away when he felt his hand burn when it came in contact with the jacket.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" asked the guy, his eyes wide with worry as he looked into Aman's eyes. 

"I just- it's nothing. I think I scratched my hand when I used it to slow down the fall." answered Aman, looking down at his hand, frowning at his scratched skin. The pain was bearable but he couldn't help but wince again as the burning feeling increased. And it disappeared when the man took his hand in his own hand, his fingers carefully holding Aman's hand, with utter care and attention. 

"Does it hurt much?" asked the stranger, but Aman barely heard his question, as he kept looking down at his hand, their hands. 

Aman could maybe never describe the feeling he was feeling right now. It was like being struck by lightning, his whole body seizing up as a feeling of electricity ran inside his bones, making him silent and immobile. It made him feel dizzy and made him alive at the same time. He had never, ever felt this before in his life. It terrified him but he found it beautiful. What was happening? 

"Hey!" 

"Uh?" asked Aman, snapping back to reality, looking up at the stranger, who was now looking at him with a glint of teasing present in his eyes. 

"You got lost again. I was asking if it hurts. Also, I am Kartik. You can stop calling me" Uh" " said Kartik, the grin making an appearance on his face again. It made Aman want to stare at him forever. 

What? 

"Uh I am fine. I have- I have to go. Thanks for the jacket. Bye." said Aman, his words coming out of his mouth rapidly and he was moving away before Kartik could say anything. 

Walking away from the mysterious guy wasn't the first time Aman was walking away from someone. He did it all the time. But this time, it surprised him when his heart dropped at the bottom of his feet, his mind telling him to stop, to turn away and to bump into Kartik, again. What surprised him even more was that he had stopped walking without even realizing it. 

He threw his head back and groaned, drops of rain falling on him. 

What was happening to him? What was he doing? 

"Hey!" 

Aman opened his eyes and the sight that greeted him made his heart miss a beat. 

Kartik was standing in front of him, his hair dropping on his forehead as it rained harder around them. He was smiling at Aman, his dimples making an appearance for the first time in front of him, and Aman swore he almost forgot how to breathe. 

"Do you live far away from here?" asked Kartik. 

"What ?" asked Aman, confused about why Kartik was asking this question in the first place. 

"I live a few minutes away. If you want, you can come with me and I can help you out. You need new clothes and a first aid kit for your hand." explained Kartik, with a soft smile and a gentle voice. Aman felt like he would never get bored if he had to listen to Kartik's voice for hours. 

"What?" repeated Aman, eloquent as ever, blinking a couple of times. Was Kartik asking him to come to his place? 

"I said… you need help and I can help. Only if you want." said Kartik and Aman noticed how his eyes crinkled when he smiled wider. He also noticed Kartik's nose ring and tattoos on his neck and arm and Aman was… He was in awe. 

"I…" started Aman, but cleared his throat and spoke again, this time more clearly. "I don't want to be a bother." 

"What ? No. You won't be a bother. This is the least I can do after creating all this mess." answered Kartik, and the way Aman saw it, he was being honest. 

He bit his lower lip and wondered, should he go with Kartik? Why would he? He wasn't deeply hurt, it was just a minor scratch. And Aman didn't like being taken care of. He never did. He didn't like it when the care and kindness came from his own family and he hated it even more when they came from strangers. But now, looking at the concern flooding Kartik's eyes, for him, Aman didn't feel like running away from it. He didn't hate it. It made him feel… nice. 

"Does that little smile of yours mean a yes?" asked Kartik, chuckling when Aman snapped his attention back to the present. He didn't even know he was smiling until Kartik pointed it out. Why was a man he met not even 10 minutes ago made him lose control like this? What was so special about him? Why did Aman feel so drawn toward him? 

Aman didn't know what to say and he hated being so confused so he just gave up. He nodded, yes, silently and then Kartik lighted up, his smile widening even more. Aman felt the air leave his lungs. It was raining, yet, Aman felt like the sun was shining in front of him, Kartik's smile making him blind with brightness. 

"Come on, then. Let's go. Or are you gonna stand there and keep staring at me? Which, I am not complaining about, honestly." said Kartik, raising one of his eyebrows at him, while he grinned down at him. 

"I- I am not staring- Let's just- we can go." said Aman, struggling over his words, which he hated more than anything. 

"You're cute." 

"What?" asked Aman, his voice sounding ridiculously higher than necessary to himself. 

"Follow me. Come on." said Kartik, laughing slightly and walking away. Hearing Kartik laugh loudly did things to his heart and mind and Aman didn't like it. It actually felt nice. But that was the point. It shouldn't. He just got here, damn it. He didn't have time for this. He still had to find a place to stay and a job. But his stupid traitorous heart had other plans, apparently. 

But before he knew what he was doing, Aman's feet moved and he was walking next to Kartik, their arms almost touching but Aman made sure to maintain a little bit of distance between them. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new character's introduction in this little chapter that I loved writing about ♥️
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy it 😊

They walked for a few minutes, in silence. Kartik didn't ask any questions. And Aman didn't either. He didn't know what to say. He felt Kartik's eyes on him from time to time but he didn't find the courage in himself to turn his head to stare back at him, so he kept looking ahead and walked. The rain was still pouring around them and Aman started shivering. He hated rain and the cold and the way his shirt was stuck to his body, but he kind of felt the warmth from Kartik's jacket engulf him, giving him the comfort he didn't know he needed. 

The silence wasn't awkward or heavy. It was comfortable and nice. He didn't feel like he had to say something. Aman wasn't used to feeling this way around people. He liked silence but only for himself. For the first time, silence didn't sound terrible at the presence of Kartik next to him and Aman didn't know what to think of it. 

"We're here." 

Aman turned to look at Kartik whose eyes were already on him. He looked away and saw Kartik's house. And he noticed the board hanging on the gate. 

"You're renting the place??" exclaimed Aman, looking at Kartik with wide eyes. Kartik shook his head and chuckled, walking toward the gate and opening it. He leaned against it and looked at Aman, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"I wish. I'm a tenant. Since I am looking for someone to share the rent with and the owner agreed, I put out the board. Hopefully someone will come along to take some trouble out of my life." explained Kartik, sighing. 

"Have you found them yet?" asked Aman, his question out of his mouth before he had the chance to think it through. 

"Not yet." answered Kartik, pouting, his eyes boring into Aman's, and Aman had to look away. He bit his lips and looked around. The surroundings looked nice and the house wasn't exactly that big. He wasn't looking for something expensive. 

"Are you interested?" asked Kartik, his eyebrows raised, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

"Maybe. Looks nice." whispered Aman, feeling his own lips turning into a smile. 

"I know I do. Everyone says it." answered Kartik, his smile turning into a smirk as his eyes lighted up with teasing and amusement as Aman stuttered, searching for words. 

"I- what? No. I was talking about the house. The house looks nice. Not you. I mean- you look nice too. Just- can we go in??" asked Aman, struggling to talk, as his cheeks reddened, wishing for the ground to swallow him whole and save him from embarrassing himself even further. 

Kartik threw his head back and laughed as Aman threw his own head back to groan, but he couldn't help but to smile as the sound of Kartik laughing reached his ears. 

"After you." said Kartik, moving in front of the gate, keeping it opened as he gestured with one of his hands, waiting for Aman to walk in first. 

Aman shook his head, amused, and walked ahead. He noticed the plants and flowers at the side, as soon as he walked past the gate, there were all sorts of them. Aman didn't recognize which one was which but they were beautiful. 

"You know what? I might as well give you a tour since you're very much interested." said Kartik from behind him, who was leaning against the brick wall. He was grinning, his eyes sparkling and Aman glared at him, but couldn't help but to chuckle. 

"These are one of the most important parts of this house. Roses, tulips, safflowers. Over there, there are some mushrooms and corn growing." explained Kartik, his hands moving and gesturing in front of him. Aman knew he should be looking at the flowers and the plants but he couldn't help but to stare at Kartik's face. There was a light glowing in his eyes which wasn't there before. Aman guessed this is how he looks when he talks about something he's interested in. His smile was beautiful and wide and Aman felt like he could stare at him forever. 

He snapped his head to the side to look at the plants when Kartik turned his head toward him. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?" asked Kartik. 

"It really is. Your landlord must be taking care of them really well." said Aman, smiling wide at Kartik. 

"Who? Oh no that old man really doesn't care about them. I am the one who put those out there. The space was kinda empty when I arrived, so I arranged all of this." explained Kartik, smiling, his shoulders up as a proud expression flashed on his face. 

"And the landlord let you?" asked Aman, frowning. 

"Oh he didn't mind. The old man loves me too much to say no." said Kartik, winking at him and grinning. "Oh, wait a second." whispered Kartik, walking away toward the flowers and plucking one from the ground. 

"Here. For you." said Kartik, handing him out the yellow flower he was holding between his fingers. 

"For me?" asked Aman, surprised, sensing a feeling of warmth flood over him, making his heart clench inside of his chest as he blinked at Kartik. 

"Yes. For you. Yellow roses, especially safflowers can be given to people who come to someone else's home for the first time. I read it in a book. So, here, take it." answered Kartik, smiling at him, softly and kindly, handing him out the flower. Aman smiled, a small amount of happiness swelling in his heart as he stared down at the little flower in Kartik's hand. He brought up his hand and his fingers closed around the safflower, caressing Kartik's own fingers, their skin brushing lightly, and Aman looked up. 

Kartik was still smiling but somehow it felt more… intimate? His eyes were staring at him with a strange intensify and with a beautiful glow, Aman couldn't help but to simply stare into these breathtaking eyes. 

"Kartik! Who is this?!" 

Aman flinched and turned around, unconsciously moving a step away from Kartik, his heart beating painfully inside his chest as anxiety and fear took over him. 

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop screaming? I am literally a few meters away from you! Now look, you scared him. Hey, it's okay. It's just my landlord. He just likes to scream at people for no reason. Sorry, dude. You're okay?" 

Aman swallowed and looked up at Kartik who was standing away from him, fidgeting with his hands. He probably wanted to come closer but had felt Aman's discomfort and decided to stay away. He was smiling at him but this time, it was a sad one, yet a kind and comforting smile. 

"Yeah. He just surprised me, that's all. I'm okay." answered Aman, getting his breathing under control. He nodded at Kartik to show him he was really okay and turned to look at the landlord, who was frowning at the both of them. 

"What do you mean I scream for no reason? It has been 2 hours. Where is my stuff, Kartik?" asked the landlord, one hand holding his cane, as the other one rested against his hip. 

"Your- Oh shit! I left the bag at the market!" exclaimed Kartik, his hands coming to rest against his cheeks, as his mouth opened in shocked realization. Aman had to stop himself from chuckling at his expression. 

The landlord glared at Kartik and raised his cane and hit him on his arm, lightly. Kartik groaned and pouted, bringing up his hands, holding them in front of him in surrender. 

"I'm sorry, I am sorry. Listen to me first. I was almost done at the market, but then I met him!" said Kartik, pointing at Aman, who stared at Kartik with wide, confused eyes, not knowing what to do or say. Finally, he looked back at the landlord who was frowning at him. Aman swallowed and brought his hand to wave at him, with a little smile.

"And who are you??" asked the landlord, waving his cane in front of Aman, as he adjusted his glasses with his other hand. 

"I am… Aman." introduced himself, Aman, for the first time in front of Kartik. 

"That's a nice name." said Kartik, smiling at him, his eyes sparkling and Aman could feel his cheeks reddening, again. 

"You, don't flirt with him !" said the landlord, raising his cane in front of Kartik again. 

"Why? Should I ask for your permission first?" asked Kartik, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as he glared down at the landlord, but with a teasing smirk on his lips. 

"You are too much. I am sure you spent the whole time flirting with this guy at the market and that's why you forgot to bring my vegetables." scolded, the landlord, looking at Kartik with a frown and a grimace, and Aman didn't know if he should run or speak up to clear the confusion because no flirting had happened at all! Not knowing what to do and not wanting to make the situation worse, Aman kept quiet and kept looking back and forth between Kartik and the landlord. He was surprised how they were getting along but he was most confused about the fact that the old man was talking about two men flirting so casually. He was in Delhi since only a few days ago and he was getting more and more surprised with this city and its people. 

"Oh, I wish." answered Kartik, now looking at Aman, winking at him, as he smirked. 

"See! You're doing it again!" exclaimed the landlord and Kartik laughed and walked toward the old man. He stood behind the landlord and rested his hands on the man's shoulders as he looked at Aman. 

"Let me tell you what actually happened before you go ahead with your imagination. I was at a market and I was almost done when I bumped into him, without meaning to, and we both fell to the ground. He got a little hurt and his clothes are ruined so I brought him here to give him some new clothes and-"

"Then why are you wasting your time arguing with me while you should be taking care of this poor guy? Look at him, he is shivering." said the landlord, his hand pushing away Kartik's hands. 

Kartik gasped and looked at the landlord with wide eyes. 

"That was what I was doing before you interrupted us, quite rudely, actually." answered Kartik, pouting and rolling his eyes. 

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young man. You, come in, come in. Don't stand in the cold." said the landlord, gesturing at Aman to walk in, as he gently smiled at him. 

"Thank you, sir." answered Aman, smiling kindly at the old man as he walked inside. 

"See, how respectful he is. Would it hurt you to say some kind words to me from time to time, Kartik?" asked the landlord, stopping in front of the stairs, as he turned back to stare at Kartik, who looked affronted and very much offended. 

"Excuse you, bro. I am very polite, all the time." answered Kartik, glaring at the landlord while the landlord rolled his eyes at him, whispering "liar". Kartik gasped, rather dramatically, again, and Aman chuckled. Kartik was adorable with all his expressions and dramatic gestures. It was endearing. 

"You go inside, I'll bring some tea to you." said the landlord, bringing his hand up to pat Aman on the shoulder.

"There is no need, really. I am fine." said Aman, smiling, grateful for the man's kindness. 

"What do you mean there is no need? You need something warm to drink. Go and change your clothes. I'll be there with the tea in a few minutes." replied the old man, walking away already, before Aman could refuse it again. 

"Make me one too, please. I feel cold too." yelled Kartik, as the landlord walked into his house, leaving them behind. 

"Don't you have your own kitchen?" yelled back the old man, and Kartik gasped again, muttering a few words under his breath, yet, shaking his head fondly as he grinned, his eyes softening. 

"Come on, Aman. Let's go." said Kartik, nodding at him and his smile widening. 

"Lead the way." replied Aman, nodding back, his heart fluttering when Kartik's face brightened as he smiled more.


	3. Chapter 3

Kartik walked ahead and took the stairs, Aman followed behind. They walked into a small corridor and came in front of a door. Kartik reached into his pants pocket, then groaned. 

"My keys are in my jacket's pocket. Can you…" asked Kartik, his hand extending and gesturing to the jacket Aman was wearing. 

"Oh. Yeah. Here." said Aman, reaching into the pockets, taking out the keys and putting them in Kartik's hand, on his open palm between them.

"Thank you." replied Kartik, and opened the door, walking in first. He held the door for him, and Aman entered his place. 

His house wasn't that big but it was beautiful. The living room was quite big and there was a mattress laying in the side, close enough to the balcony, a dinner table, chairs, and a couch facing the TV stand.There was the kitchen on the side which wasn't separated by a wall and two wooden doors at the other side of the place. 

There wasn't much decor, there were a few paintings hanging on the wall, some little plants, a bookcase and some shelves on which pictures frames and some medals and candles rested. 

Kartik was right, this place was big enough for at least three people. 

"Wait a minute, I am gonna get the first aid box and bring you some new clothes." said Kartik, throwing his keys on the mattress and he disappeared behind one of the wooden doors, leaving Aman alone. 

Aman nodded silently and walked forward, and stood in front of the couch, as he continued to look around his surroundings. He sighed and took off Kartik's jacket, putting it on a chair where a pile of clothes was already resting. 

He went to check Kartik's bookcase and Aman wasn't surprised when he saw the content of it : _A queer history of the United States_ by Michael Bronski, _The Stonewall Riots : a documentary history_ by Marc Stein, _Transgender History_ by Susan Stryker, _Stonewall_ by Martin Duberman, _Criminal Love : queer theory, culture and politics in India_ by R. Raj Rao, _Lotus of another color_ by Rakesh Ratti, _The Ministry of utmost happiness_ by Arundhati Roy, _The truth about me : a hijra life story_ by A. Revathi and V. Geetha. 

And a few other books related to LGBTQ+ and novel books were put in the bookcase. 

Aman had never really read books about the LGBTQ+ community before, but it didn't mean that he hadn't wanted to. Growing up at his home back in his city and spending his whole life at his parents' house where the whole family was incredibly good at putting their noses in his business, he didn't want to draw any suspicion and give a chance to anyone to know about his sexuality. Coming across Kartik, who was so comfortable with flirting with him and giving him heart eyes was confusing and surprising because this had never happened to Aman before. No one had, in public, showed interest in Aman. He had always had hidden glances, hesitant smiles and discreet hand touching. He had never met anyone who was so open, who did not care about the way the world sees them. So it made Aman kind of speechless to meet Kartik. Because he was everything Aman wanted to be and hoped to be one day. He didn't even know if one day he would be brave enough to live a life like Kartik does : unbothered by the world's stares and unafraid. It hadn't even been two hours but Aman could already tell that Kartik was one of the bravest people he would ever meet in his entire life. 

A feeling of pride and envy simultaneously burst in his chest and Aman's lips lifted upwards, a small yet sad smile appearing on his face. 

He walked away from the bookcase, past the kitchen and noticed a picture hanging on the wall, it was a framed photo of a woman. It had a fresh flower garland hanging. A wooden shelf had been put in front of the framed picture and there was a silver plate on it. It contained a diya, which was lighting with a small but strong flame. Next to the diya, there were some incense sticks, a little bell, some flowers and a handcrafted silver polished sindoor box with its lid. It was a flower design pot with a leaf shaped stand. The woman in the picture was smiling, her eyes were shining with joy and it looked as if she was laughing at something. She looked happy and a lot like Kartik. It must be his mother, realized Aman, with a sad sigh. She was wearing the exact same nose ring that Kartik wore. 

"Sorry, it took me some time- Hey, you're meeting the next most important person in this house, already!" exclaimed Kartik, coming out of a room with clothes and the first aid box in his hands, smiling at Aman, his eyes then shifting between his mother's frame and Aman. 

"I didn't mean to pry, sorry." said Aman, stepping a little away from the wall. 

"Oh no don't worry. Meet my mom. Mom, this is Aman. The poor guy suffering because of your son's stupidity." answered Kartik, chuckling and looking at Aman with a grin, making him smile.

"It's okay, really. Don't worry about it." said Aman, shaking his head. 

"Here. Some clothes I used to wear years ago, since my clothes from now must be too big for you. Don't worry, they are clean. Here, a towel. The bathroom is there. Take your shower and change yourself, I'll wait for you on the couch." replied Kartik, nodding at the bathroom door behind Aman, handing out the clothes and the towel to him. 

Aman reached out and took the shirt, the pants and the towel, their fingers slightly touching and felt the same feeling of warm dizziness take over him. He pulled away and awkwardly stood in front of Kartik. 

"Thanks. For everything you're doing to help." said Aman, clearing his throat and giving Kartik a grateful smile. 

"It's the least I can do after the mess I made. Go." replied Kartik, gesturing for Aman to go into the bathroom. Aman nodded and turned to walk away. He opened the bathroom door and stepped in. When he turned around, his hand on the door's handle, as he closed the wooden door, he peaked a little and saw Kartik's back as the man walked away and sat on the couch, with a soft and sweet smile on his face. 

Aman closed the door and finally breathed. He let his head hit the door, gently, as his body leaned forward. His fingers clenched the clothes and towel in his hands and he took a few deep breaths to keep his thundering heart which kept beating out of his chest ever since he met Kartik. He had never felt this way before. This was new. And way too soon. But Aman couldn't help but to let himself simply feel what he was feeling right now. Because it was beautiful and amazing and it made him breathless and alive at the same time and he didn't want it to stop. Was he going crazy? What was happening to him? Why now? Why Kartik? He didn't look special as much as he felt like it. He was a simple guy with a simple life and a kind and amazing personality. Aman didn't know why but everything about Kartik screams _special_ and _pure_ and Aman had never met someone who had this effect on him. Maybe that was why Aman didn't want to run away from Kartik's care and company as he had done pretty much all the time with others, during his whole life. 

He took a few seconds more to gather his thoughts in place and moved away from the door. He put the clothes on the chair next to the shower. And hanged the towel on the back of the chair. He took his clothes off and threw them on the floor and got in the shower. 

It didn't take more than a few minutes, he was out of the shower, fresh and clean. He grabbed the clean clothes and put them on, then used the towel to dry his hair. It was nice to finally breathe without smelling the dirty rain on himself. After making sure that everything was the same as it was before Aman used the shower, he walked out of the bathroom. 

Kartik was sitting on the couch, leaning against the back of the couch, one of his arms at the back of his head, as the other one was holding the book in front of his face. 

_The man who would be queen_ by Hoshang Merchant. 

Kartik looked beautiful and Aman really didn't know how to look away so he didn't. He also didn't want to disturb him as he was completely focused on the story he was reading, so Aman just awkwardly stood in front of the bathroom's door, leaning his back against it, tilting his head and staring at Kartik. 

There was something so peaceful and soothing about Kartik but Aman couldn't really understand what it was exactly. Maybe it was the way he talked, his voice soft and low, speaking out every word with clarity and perfection as if it was music. Maybe it was the way he stared at him, his gaze fixed on him, unable to look away from Aman, not even wanting to, forgetting what surrounded him as his total focus was on Aman. Maybe it was the way he smiled, his lips turning upward, making his dimples appear and his eyes wrinkle, lighting up his whole face with bright happiness, instantly bringing joy to the person he was facing. Maybe it was something about the way he laughed, loud and freely, his shoulders shaking, his hand on his chest, his head thrown back. Aman had stared at him like he was a piece of art when he heard him laugh for the first time. Or maybe it was simply about how Kartik makes Aman feel : scared, curious, interested, and terrified. He was feeling all these emotions and so many more he didn't know how to describe them. 

Kartik was now looking down at the book which was currently laying on his lap. The arm which was behind his head was now in front of the book, his elbow on his knee and his chin resting on his palm, Kartik stared down at the book, completely unaware of Aman admiring him. A smile appeared on Aman's lips as he noticed Kartik starting to pout as he continued his reading. Then, the next second, his eyes widened and he drew his lower lip between his teeth, fully paying attention to the story he was reading. And again, his expression changed. His mouth opened and he let out a loud gasp, bringing up his hand to cover his mouth as he glared down at the book. He finally looked up, surprised and confused when he heard Aman's chuckle.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh. Hey. How long have you been standing there?" asked Kartik, putting the book on the couch and standing up, smiling gently at Aman. 

"Not long." answered Aman, looking down to hide the smile he couldn't bloody put away. 

"You enjoyed checking me out, didn't you?" asked Kartik, wiggling his eyebrows at him and smirking, toward him. 

"No. I mean- I wasn't checking you out. I was just…" said Aman, gesturing his hands in front of him, searching for words, his heart beating rapidly as Kartik walked closer. 

"Staring?" asked Kartik, one of his eyebrows raised, tilting his head to the side, his smile growing wide as he approached Aman. 

"Yeah." whispered Aman, the world slipping out before he had the chance to think it through. His eyes widened when he realized and opened his mouth to correct himself but grew silent when he noticed the proximity between the two of them. 

For someone who hated other people's company and touch, Aman definitely didn't feel like pushing Kartik away right now and all it did was confuse him. 

Kartik wasn't exactly close. He was a few feet away. But Aman could feel the warmth radiating from Kartik reach him. He held out his hand in front of Aman and waited. Aman looked down at Kartik's opened palm and looked up to stare at Kartik with confusion. 

"Give me your hand." said Kartik, his grin back on his lips as he looked down at Aman with his eyes holding a hint of amusement. 

"Why?" asked Aman, frowning, totally not feeling there was any need for Kartik to hold his hand in his. 

"Did you lose yourself to my charm so deeply while you were admiring me that you forgot your hand was hurting?" asked Kartik, his eyes sparkling with joy and wonder as his smile grew bigger, making Aman forget how to breathe properly. 

"Oh." whispered Aman, bringing up his hand and staring down, his eyes wide, at the red scratches on his palm.

"Oh, indeed." said Kartik, snorting who was still holding out his hand for Aman. He stared at Aman, one of his eyebrows raised, silently asking for Aman's hand. Literally, and definitely not in a different way that the other part of his mind was thinking. 

Aman bit his lips and looked up at Kartik. His gaze was now soft, kind and gentle. And Aman didn't know where it came from but a feeling of trust flooded into him and he wanted to scream in frustration and confusion and run away. But he did not. Instead, he slowly lifted his hand, his eyes never leaving Kartik's stare, and rested his hand in Kartik's, the back of his hand against Kartik's palm. Kartik's smile only grew softer, if that was even possible. 

"Come on." said Kartik, his fingers closing around Aman's wrist and pulling him away from the bathroom's door he was leaning against. 

Aman followed, unable to speak a word, he didn't know if it was because he couldn't think or form words properly, or because he simply didn't want to. 

They reached the couch and Aman sat down next to Kartik, his hand still in his hold. Kartik, still grasping Aman's hand, reached out with his other hand to grab the first aid box laying on the couch. He put it on his lap and opened it, taking a few things out of it : cotton balls, a lotion, an adhesive bandage and a pair of scissors. 

Without a word, he got to work. He opened the lotion and cleaned the wound. As soon as the liquid poured onto his palm, Aman hissed, instinctively pulling his hand away, away from Kartik's hold. 

"Shit. Sorry. Did that burn too much?" asked Kartik, eyes wide and worry written all over his expression. 

"Kind of." answered Aman, looking down at his hand, grimacing and biting his lips. He looked up when Kartik's hand appeared in his vision, next to his, and he saw Kartik staring at him with the sweetest expression, with a little hint of apology in his eyes. Aman stared down and moved his hand, until their hands touched. And when they did, Kartik's fingers slipped below the back of Aman's hand and his fingers almost wrapped around Aman's wrist, holding it in place, as his other hand brought a cotton ball to clean up his wound. And Aman forgot how to breathe. 

It wasn't anything special. Karthik was just cleaning up his wound but Aman couldn't help but stare at him. He was adorable. And Aman recognized a handsome face when he saw one. And Kartik looked incredibly pure. Especially now. He was holding Aman's hand like it was a treasure, his soft fingers tracing gentle circles on the back of his hand. And with every stroke, Aman felt a shiver run up from his hand to the rest of his body. It felt like a feather caressing his skin : soft, gentle, and slow. Aman didn't know he could possibly feel this way, ever. Every touch, smile, wink, eye contact and laugh from Kartik made him feel like he was staring at one of the world's most beautiful creations. It made him want to stare at Kartik for a little longer. Kartik applied the cotton ball a few more times on his wound, bending over a little to blow on his wound and Aman swore he exploded. 

"Does it hurt now?" asked Kartik, finally looking up from Aman's hand he was holding into Aman's eyes, worry still lingering in his dark eyes as he stared at him. When Aman swallowed and couldn't find the strength to speak, he simply shook his head. Kartik noticed how Aman looked at him as if he was made of stars and he smirked as he blushed, looking down way too quickly, biting on his lower lip. 

Wait, was he blushing? God, Aman was gonna die. 

Aman silently and not much secretly continued to admire Kartik while he took the bandage and wrapped it around his palm. He carefully held his hand, his fingers touching every inch of skin he could, gently and slowly, as goosebumps traveled down Aman's arm. Unaware of the effects he was having on Aman, Kartik cut the adhesive bandage and finished the job, his hand resting against the back of Aman's hand, his fingers wrapped around Aman's wrist. 

"Done." said Kartik, grinning up at him proudly, and Aman smiled back. 

"Thank you." whispered Aman, biting on lips, trying to stop his smile from widening. 

Kartik smirked at him and took his hand away. Aman missed his touch immediately and his hand almost reached back to his, almost. He brought his hand and rested it against his lap, and he looked down. 

Silence surrounded them for a few seconds and Aman unsurprisingly found it comfortable. He felt Kartik move on the couch and Aman slightly looked up to see him putting back the stuff he took out from the first aid box. 

"I am gonna put them back in the bathroom, I will be right back." said Kartik, smiling at him as he put everything in order in the box. 

"Okay." answered Aman, smiling back, his eyes never looking away from Kartik's back as he made his way into the bathroom. When the bathroom door closed behind him, Aman looked away and noticed the book Kartik was reading a few moments ago, next to him. Curiosity got the best of him and he stretched his arm, taking the book in his unharmed hand. On the front cover, there was a picture of a man, his back was bare and he had long white hair and a beard. His face wasn't visible, only the side of it. He was holding a hand fan in front of his face. The title of the book was written in the middle, in white, the name of the author right below it. Aman frowned, curious, turning the book to read the summary when the bathroom door opened and Kartik came out of it. 

When Aman saw him, he put the book back on the couch, at Kartik's place. Kartik saw and smiled, as he walked toward him. When he reached the couch, he sat down next to him, the only thing separating them was the book resting between the both of them. 

"It caught your attention, didn't it?" asked Kartik, smiling at Aman, his arm resting on the back of the couch, as his side leaned against it, bringing up his legs on the couch, crossing them under him. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean-" 

"Oh, no. No. Don't apologize, please. Here. Have a look if you want." said Kartik, shaking his head with a small smile, taking the book in his hand and handing it out to Aman. Aman bit his lips, looking up at Kartik, who nodded at him with a kind smile. Aman's lips lifted upwards and he smiled back, taking the book from Kartik. Their fingers brushed together and Aman immediately pulled back, lowering his head. He read the summary and looked up to see Kartik grinning at him. Aman rolled his eyes, smiling at him. 

"It seems like a great book." said Aman. 

"Oh it is. I love it. It really reaches out to the people who are concerned about the topic." answered Kartik, looking down at the book on Aman's legs. "But it also has some sad parts." 

"I don't doubt that." said Aman, smiling at Kartik, who looked up at him and chuckled. 

"You read a lot?" asked Kartik, his head resting against his arm which was still on the back of the couch. 

"No, I don't read." answered Aman, looking down and letting his fingers draw a trail on the book's cover. 

"You don't?? You seemed pretty much interested by my collection of books for someone who doesn't read much." said Kartik, and Aman looked up to see that he was looking at him with a frown, confused. 

"I don't like novels and the ones I wanted to read… I couldn't read them back at home." answered Aman, unable to stop the sad smile appearing on his face. 

"Oh." simply answered, Kartik, frowning but lighting up a few seconds later, a wide smile on his face. "Well, you are here now." 

"I am." said Aman, chuckling, "So if you have any recommendations…" 

"Oh, I do. I have plenty, even. I can make you a list. You can also borrow-" 

A knock coming from the main door interrupted him, and Kartik groaned. 

"I think it's the tea." said Aman. 

"Yeah. The old man. He has the worst timing. I wanted to talk more about these books with you before you go away." replied Kartik, pouting sadly, looking at Aman with a frown. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the late update, I had some things to deal with yesterday.  
> Enjoy the new chapter!

"Well… I am not gonna leave right away after drinking tea, so…" trailed off, Aman, not knowing in the slightest what he was or why he was doing this. He had a lot of things to do in his hotel room, people to call and things to take care of. But somehow, he didn't want to leave. Not yet. And for the first time, he felt like doing something he really wants. And now, all he wanted to do was to know more about this man in front of him. 

"So you're staying after?" asked Kartik, his eyes lightning up with hope and happiness, his smile widening as he stared at Aman with the cutest expression ever. Aman felt his own lips lift up and had to look down to hide it, his fingers playing with Kartik's shirt which he was now wearing. 

"I mean that… Uh… My clothes! My clothes… They need to be washed, right? So since I don't have a washing machine at my hotel, you can put them in yours and while we wait for them to be clean, you can, um… You can talk to me about your books and uh stuff." 

By the time he finished his sentence, Aman felt like he was out of breath, not once taking a breath in or out while he answered to Kartik. When he looked up, Kartik's smile was even wider and his eyes even brighter with joy and amazement. 

"Right. You're only gonna stay a little longer for your clothes to get clean. Obviously." said Kartik, his smile turning into a grin, his eyes sparkling. 

"Obviously. What other reason could I have?" asked Aman, his own lips forming a tiny smirk, his heart flipping in his chest as Kartik chuckled, shaking his head, a strand of hair falling on his forehead. 

"I know you are secretly enjoying my company. But I get it, you're shy. I actually find it adorable." said Kartik, winking at him and smirking. And Aman found it very difficult to breathe. He couldn't say a word and couldn't look away from the beautiful eyes of Kartik. Fortunately, he didn't have to. There was another loud knock on the door and Kartik huffed. 

"Open the door, lovebirds. I'm gonna drop the plate!" yelled the landlord, from the other side of the door. Kartik shook his head, exasperated, rolling his eyes and getting up from the couch. 

"I'm gonna open the door before the old man kicks it down. I'll be right back." said Kartik, standing in front of Aman and looking down at him with a smile. He only walked away when Aman nodded silently. 

Another knock came and Kartik threw his head back while walking away, groaning. 

"I am here! Wait a second." yelled Kartik, opening the door. 

Aman could only see his back from there so while Kartik dealt with his landlord, Aman wandered his eyes to his surroundings once again. He noticed the little things he hadn't noticed before. Next to the couch, there was a little wooden table, on which there was a tiny pride flag stand. His eyes moved to the round carpet, on the floor, which was between the couch and the TV and noticed the big "Love wins" in the middle of it, written with rainbow colors. Then, he caught sight of a framed picture on the wall, behind the TV stand, which separated the bathroom and probably the guest room, he could recognize the rainbow colors but not much more than that. So while Kartik was discussing, or more like arguing with his landlord with whispered sentences, Aman got up from the couch, and went over to stand in front of the wall, staring at the picture. A sense of happiness and envy took over him. 

It was a picture of Kartik, at Pride. He was shirtless, a pride flag wrapped around his neck, falling from his shoulders to his back. He was smiling wide, proud and happy. Next to him, was a woman, one of her arms at the back of Kartik's neck, her hand resting on his shoulder. She was giving a thumbs up and grinning. There were more people behind them, waving at the camera, happily, laughing and smiling. 

Aman's attention went back to Kartik. He looked so free and at peace with himself. Exactly the way he was right now. His eyes were shining with pure happiness and excitement, crinkling at the corner. Aman could only imagine the joy and the feeling of freedom Kartik must have felt that day. He felt sad, that he would probably never be this proud of himself, but soon, he felt relief and happiness, a smile appearing on his lips, as he realized that Kartik was living his life on his own terms, surrounding himself with light and love. Aman felt happy for him, that Kartik was able to be himself without giving importance to how the world might judge him. Aman didn't think that he would himself be that person one day. He was too afraid and too much of a coward to stand up for himself, against himself and the outside world. Knowing that someone as wonderful and amazing as Kartik didn't feel the need to hide was a little consolation for Aman. Aman hadn't known Kartik for too long, but from what he knew and what he saw, Kartik deserved to feel as free and as proud as he could, because he was worthy of it. 

Aman frowned and stepped closed to the picture when he noticed some kind of scar on Kartik's shoulder, on the frame. Before he could inspect more, Kartik's voice reached him. 

"Where are you getting lost again?" 

Aman turned away, shaking his head, clearing his thoughts and clearing his throat. 

"I was just… Uh. The picture looks nice. You look… happy." answered Aman, smiling, walking toward the couch, while Kartik put down one silver plate on the wooden table next to the couch, and the other one on the couch. On one plate, the one which was on the little wooden table, there were two small silver cups and on the other one, there were some bonda. 

"Oh, that. That was one of the happiest days of my life. It was awesome." answered Kartik, his hands on his hips as he smiled. Aman smiled back, nodding, and went to sit on the couch, while Kartik sat down next to him. 

"So, here you go, some tea. And onions bonda." said Kartik, sitting on the couch with his legs crossed under him, handing out to Aman one cup of tea as he took the other one for himself. The plate of onions bonda was placed between the two of them. 

"Thank you. Your landlord didn't have to go through the trouble." said Aman, frowning and taking the cup and holding it in front of his lips as he blew down on it. 

"Oh, please. That guy loves you already. I'm sure he was happy to do this. He never makes me my favorite food." said Kartik, pouting and frowning, looking as adorable as always, making Aman chuckle. 

"What is your favorite food?" asked Aman, curious, looking at Kartik with a smile, as the latter sipped his tea. 

"Laddoos ! I love all kinds of Laddoos. I would eat them all day if I could. They're delicious. Too bad I don't know how to make them." said Kartik, shrugging sadly. 

Aman smiled and brought down the tea closer to his lips, taking a sip, testing if the tea wasn't too hot. When he felt the heat against his tongue and decided that it wasn't going to burn him, he sipped a little bit more amount of tea. He welcomed the warmth of the beverage as it made its way down his throat, feeling better instantly, since he hadn't eaten anything since this morning. 

"You look like you haven't had tea for weeks." said Kartik, snorting, as he took one onion bonda from the plate and biting in it. 

"I didn't eat this morning, that's why." answered Aman, shrugging, picking up one onion bonda from the place while Kartik stared at him, frowning. 

"Well, before I talk to you about books. We need to talk about you, obviously. So, tell me. Who are you?" asked Kartik, his eyes staring right into Aman's, a soft smile playing on his lips. 

"Uh… I'm Aman." answered Aman, wanting to smack himself over the head as soon as he realized how stupid he was sounding. 

Unsurprisingly, Kartik didn't laugh or made fun of him. 

"Well, Aman. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Kartik." said Kartik, bringing up his tea cup and holding it in front of Aman, as he raised his eyebrows, waiting, expectantly. 


	6. Chapter 6

Aman smiled and rolled his eyes, and lifted his own cup of tea, clinking their cups together. Kartik grinned and brought the cup to his lips, sipping his tea as he took another bonda from the plate and ate it. Aman lifted the bonda he was holding in his hands and brought it up to his lips, taking a bite. He welcomed the explosion of flavor and warmth as he swallowed down the food. 

  
  


"So, Aman. What brought you to the market of Delhi? I've never seen you there before." said Kartik, chewing his onion bonda and drinking his tea. 

  
  


"How do you know that? I could have been there yesterday." answered Aman, raising his eyebrows as he stared at Kartik, waiting for him to explain. 

  
  


"Well, first of all, I go to that market every morning, so I pretty much know every familiar customer and owner. And second of all, if I had seen your beautiful face before, I sure as hell would have remembered it." replied Kartik, smirking, his eyes twinkling with teasing and amusement. Aman swore all air left his lungs when he heard Kartik call him with that endearing word. No one had ever called Aman beautiful. 

  
  


Clearly, Kartik was flirting with him. And Aman didn't know how to function. Could he be more of a mess right now? 

  
  


"What? I mean- Hum… why do you go to the market every morning?" asked Aman, catching up with his words, making his mind function according to his mouth, for once. 

  
  


"I like people. And I've known the business men there for the past few years. The customers too. And I love to meet new people. It's kind of an epic experience." said Kartik, smiling, putting his empty cup of tea back on the wooden table. 

  
  


"Why would you do that? People are boring. And exhausting." said Aman, staring at Kartik as if he had grown another head. Why would any sane person trouble themselves with talking and getting to know more people? 

  
  


"What? No they're not. Okay, maybe some of them are. But most of them are pretty amazing." answered Kartik, smiling kindly. 

  
  


"I doubt it." replied Aman, chuckling, his voice holding a hint of resentment and judgement. He drank the last drops of his tea and took a bonda from the silver plate, biting down on it harsher than necessary. 

  
  


"You don't like people, don't you?" asked Kartik, grinning at him. 

  
  


"Not much. I've seen all types of people back in my city. They're pretty disappointing and get on my nerves pretty quickly." answered Aman, biting his lips. 

  
  


"Well, this isn't your city. It's Delhi. It's special for a reason. I hope you fall in love with it and its people." said Kartik, simply smiling at Aman, with as much kindness and compassion as he possibly could. And Aman felt a surprising effect inside of him, caused by Kartik's words and emotions Kartik's eyes were showing him : hope. Aman felt hope blossom in his chest, making his heart flutter as his whole body relaxed in the most comfortable way and surprising way. How could such simple words and basic gaze from Kartik have this much of an impact on Aman? For someone who had spent his entire life being unaffected by people's kindness and care, Kartik's attention didn't seem to mind him. And that was awfully confusing yet amazingly comfortable. 

  
  


"Hopefully." simply whispered back Aman, his eyes fixed on Kartik, his own lips turning into a smile when he noticed Kartik's smile getting softer and nicer. Aman cleared his throat and decided to ask his own questions. He was new around here, the least he could do was to make at least one decent acquaintance. "How long have you been in Delhi? You seem to know this place really well." 

  
  


"Oh, Delhi is my life. I have everything here. I came here when I was 18. And I am here ever since. My first two landlords were shitty. So it took me a few years to find a nice one, even if I won't ever admit that out loud. The old man will let that get into his head. I will never hear the end of it. But I have been living in this place for over two years now. That's enough time to know some parts of the city pretty well." explained Kartik, his smile gentle and kind as he lost himself in the past for a few seconds. 

  
  


"But what about you? You're new. Clearly. So what is your story?" asked Kartik, curiosity obviously present in his voice and soft eyes that stared at him. 

  
  


"I don't have a story. I… I came to Delhi to start afresh. Away from everyone I know. To have my own life. Delhi seemed a pretty good start. So here I am." answered Aman, unwilling to pour out the frustration and anger and guilt that had caused him to run away from home and come here instead. Even if he wanted to, Aman didn't want to burden Kartik with all the mess that was his past life. He left his home for a reason. He needed that part of his life behind him and away from him as much as possible. Because in his mind, for now, the only thing keeping him from living the life he wanted was the constant pressure and importance his family had in his life. Aman loved his family. He really did. He loved his parents. His cousins. His uncle and aunt. A huge part of him loved them. But another part of him couldn't help but to feel suffocated, feeling the walls closing around him and trapping him in. That was why he left. Guilt and relief had been both taking place in his heart right now. It was easier to breathe, when he was away from all that noisy yet loving people. But Kartik didn't need to know all about it. 

  
  


“Here you are, indeed.” said Kartik, a small and happy smile curving on his lips, his gaze soft and gentle. 

  
  


Kartik must have felt Aman's hesitancy because he didn't push further and asked him more personal questions about his life. He only smiled at him, gaze tender and understanding. 

  
  


"So when did you move to Delhi?" asked Kartik, curious, still smiling and eating bondas. 

  
  


"A few days ago. I've got a friend who lives here and he told me to check out this area because there were plenty of places waiting to be rented." answered Aman, picking up another onion bonda from the plate. 

  
  


"Well, look at that. We were meant to be from the beginning." said Kartik, now grinning, as his eyes glowed with obvious joy and teasing. His whole face was lightning with happiness and Aman almost choked on his food. Scratch that. He did choke on his food.


	7. Chapter 7

He coughed a few times while Kartik threw his head back and laughed. He looked down and hit his chest with his hand as he cleared his throat. When he felt like properly breathing again, he looked up and saw Kartik smirking at him. Aman glared at Kartik. 

"You're not the only one whose landlord is looking for someone for his place. I am sure there are many others." answered Aman, rolling his eyes at Kartik, swallowing down the last bit of bonda which was stuck in his throat. 

"Maybe. But there is no better place than this." said Kartik, winking at Aman, definitely proud and confident. Aman was unimpressed. Only a little bit. He found a lot of things about Kartik to be impressed about. But Kartik didn't need to know that. 

"And why would that be?" asked Aman, raising an eyebrow and staring at Kartik who looked at him with mischief and a sort of challenge in his eyes. 

"Are you asking for me to convince you to pick this place?" asked Kartik, grinning. "Are you considering it?" asked Kartik, again, and this time, Aman recognized hope in his dark orbs, and he tried to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. 

"Uh- I… No. Obviously. I am not. No. I am just- Okay. If I were to pick between another place and this one… Why would I choose this one?" asked Aman, after fumbling over a few words, looking at Kartik with his questioning and curious eyes as Kartik looked like he just had been asked to give a speech. Which made him look super excited and surprisingly happy. Aman would run far away from the possibility of giving a speech. He hated talking. Sometimes there were exceptions. Like today. 

"Okay. Here we go. Listen to me very carefully. This is important, right?" said Kartik, his expression suddenly growing serious as if he was carrying out a very important task. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands together. Aman watched, amused, as Kartik opened his eyes, his gaze now focused and determined. "Are you ready?" asked Kartik, his eyes boring into Aman's and Aman nodded, his whole attention now drawn to Kartik. He felt his heart flutter and his lips moving to form a smile when he saw Kartik's little smile before he cleared his throat, loudly, and grew serious again. 

"Alright, so I stay by my statement that this place is indeed more awesome and definitely more perfect than every other, because number 1 : hot water is absolutely not expensive, that's my landlord number one argument, and he is right. Number 2 : the walls are super thick, you could blast your music at full volume, no one would complain about it. Trust me, I tried. Number 3 : the market is only a few minutes from here, and everything about that market is a chief's kiss. The merchants are all incredibly kind and their products are trustworthy. They might have some expensive meat but it's worth it. Number 4 : The mall is on the next street. And there is literally everything there. Clothes? Fast food? Cosmetic products? That place is heaven. One of the best ones. Number 5 : Hmmm let me think for a second… Oh! Yes. People are kind. I mean, some of them can be noisy and way too interested in your personal life, but those people are practically everywhere. Thankfully, here, they are not that many. Most people here only care about talking to you and sharing a smile or a laugh. There are a few areas you might want to avoid because… well intolerant people do exist, unfortunately. But others can still be nice and lovely. Kind, but not too much. It's perfect. Then, number 6 : There is a sweet store next to this house, and I promise you'll fall in love with everything that's there. Their ladoos? Yummy. Their jalebi? Super yummy. Their halwa? I don't have words for that treasure. Also, I would kill for their gulab jamun. Everything from that little shop is out of the world. Number 7 : The bookstore next street has the most incredible books and ancient novels. You'll love it, since you're obviously looking to read more now that you are here. They have an exclusive section for LGBTQ+ related books and mostly about the history of the LGBTQ+ community. I've read pretty much all of them. They're wonderful. Number 8 : I don't know if you pray, but there is a temple a few blocks from here. You would have thought that being gay would actually prevent you from praying in a temple, but surprisingly most of them were actually okay with it. One of the pandits is actually my favorite. And I am his favorite. You'll love him. He's amazing. Talking to him seems so easy and you instantly feel all your worries and problems slip away, for a while. It's wonderful. Okay now, I think I've said everything I needed to… Oh, one more thing. The obvious one, if you do decide to move here, you need to know that the landlord is fantastic? He's like a second father or uncle. He's kind and funny. He can get on your nerves sometimes, but that's rare. He's understanding and caring. Sometimes I feel like he takes care of me more than he takes care of this place. He can be annoying sometimes and mostly yell at you at the top of his lungs but that's only if you have done something really bad. I don't think I would be who I am right now if it wasn't for his help and support. He might seem like he's annoyed by you, but that's actually his way of showing that he cares. He makes me tea and brings me food when he notices that I haven't eaten for the night. And he does the same for everyone living here. He takes care of his people. That's not a quality you see in every landlord. So yeah. I think that's all you need to know. So now, tell me. Why would you go anywhere else while this place is literally a paradise?"

Aman had listened very closely, he had tried his best. But he hadn't been able to stop his eyes admiring Kartik whenever his eyes grew softer or sparkled with joy while he listed his reasons, from time to time. The way Kartik's eyes lighted up and his face somehow shined brighter when he talked about things with interest and determination was a beautiful sight. Not only was it a beautiful thing to admire but also to hear : Aman didn't know why or how but he sometimes feels like he is listening to the most beautiful and softest music to ever exist, when he listens to Kartik's voice. 

"These are some pretty amazing reasons." answered Aman, smiling at Kartik, unable to do anything else because of how Kartik was staring at him, his eyebrows raised and a confident smile on his face. 

"Of course there are. Oh wait! I forgot the main reason why you should move in here." replied Kartik, his smile growing wide, his eyes twinkling with tease and amusement, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"And what is that?" asked Aman, tilting his head. 

"Me." answered Kartik, pointing at himself and winking at Aman, with a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 will be up Sunday!
> 
> Thank you for reading ♥️


	8. Chapter 8

Aman chuckled, shaking his head and Kartik frowned. 

"Hey, don't laugh. I am serious. I am the best roommate you could ever ask for. I am super interesting and I always talk. Sometimes it could be seen as a bad thing, but it's mostly a good thing. Because that way, you never get bored. I always have something to say about everything. Also, I am very good at listening to people. So if you would ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there, silent and understanding, only to listen and make you feel better. I am terrible at cooking and cleaning but I am an awesome singer so even if you don't wake up to a good breakfast every morning, you will wake up to a very nice voice. What else? Oh! If you have a problem with anyone about anything, you can tell me about it and I will take care of it. I am good at scaring people. Plus, my fashion sense is fabulous so if you ever need help about that, I am your guy. Lastly, I am very good at taking care of people, so if you need help about anything, I'll be there. Now, tell me. Am I not the perfect person to share a place with?" asked Kartik, smiling big and winking at Aman. 

"You're pretty confident about your opinion of yourself." said Aman, chuckling, amusement and admiration filling his voice as he stared at Kartik with a small smile. 

"Hell yes, I am. I am awesome and I know it. You should know it too." answered Kartik, wiggling his eyebrows and pointing a finger at him, and Aman laughed. 

"Alright. What if I am actually looking for a place to stay alone?" said Aman, smirking when Kartik frowned.

"Well, I can be very convincing." said Kartik, winking at Aman while he leaned back on the couch. 

Aman chuckled and shook his head, his cheeks flushing bright because of how Kartik stared at him. 

"But honestly, my own wish aside, this is a pretty good opportunity. The rent isn't that bad when you actually split it with someone else. The place is nice, the people are good. What's stopping you from saying yes?" asked Kartik, his eyes confused yet kind and soft. 

Aman bit on his lips and looked down, away from Kartik's gaze. 

Aman didn't trust a lot of people in his life. He had never talked to many people either. The less he knew people and the less he trusted them. It was kind of a good thing. For him. People had always brought trouble for him, willingly or not. So Aman had decided to spend as much time as he could from people and their contact. There were exceptions, obviously. Like Rajni and Keshav. Only them. Aman had never had any friends. His cousins had always been enough. But there had always been a barrier between them and him. Between Aman and the rest of the world. He didn't reach out to people and when others did, he pushed them away. He had never felt guilty about it. He had always thought he was better without too many people in his life. He had never trusted people enough to share his personal thoughts with them. It had always been a way for Aman to keep himself safe from others. And it had worked. He was alone. And sometimes he hated it. It made him feel lonely. But he wasn't emotionally dependent on anyone and he knew how to take care of himself. He had always thought that staying away from people's kindness and presence would be beneficial to him. And in some ways, it had been. But now, when he looked into Kartik's eyes, at his smile, Aman didn't find it as repulsive and intruding as he had felt by other people. When he looked into Kartik's kind gaze and loving smile, it didn't make Aman run away, in contrary, it made him want to walk toward it. This had never happened before. 

"You're getting lost again." 

Aman snatched himself from his thoughts and his attention focused back on Kartik. He was now staring at him with a worried frown. Instead of glaring back at him like he had always done to people who showed him kindness, he smiled. 

"I was just thinking." answered Aman, shaking his head a bit to clear out his thoughts. 

"About accepting the offer?" asked Kartik, winking at him with a smirk, his eyes shining with hope, and Aman almost said yes. Almost. 

"What makes you think that I am looking for a place with someone to share it with? I could be looking for somewhere to live alone." said Aman, shrugging, biting his lips and looking at Kartik who only smiled wider. 

"Well, Aman. You said that you only came here a day ago. So that means you're probably looking for an easy way to make your staying here as less problematic as possible. And, well, sharing the rent with someone looks like a good place to start. Plus, it's easier to find a place like that. So am I right? " asked Kartik, his eyebrows wiggling at Aman. 

"Yeah but it's not the choice I want to make." blurted out Aman, and his eyes widened, the words out of his mouth before he had the chance to think it through. Kartik's smile disappeared and he frowned, his eyes looking at him with curiosity and worry. Aman closed his eyes for a few seconds, breathing in and out, his fists clenched, pushing the whisper in his mind which kept telling him that somehow, he screwed up whatever was going on here. Before his thoughts could attack him any further, he felt a warmth embrace on his hand. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Kartik's hand covering his own, his thumb caressing the back of his hand, gently and slowly. Aman released a breath he didn't know he was holding and relief washed over him as he looked up to see Kartik smiling at him, kindly. Aman's thinned lips transformed into an apologetic smile and he struggled to find the right words. 

"That's not what I meant. I mean it is but… not in a bad way. Actually, maybe a little. But it's not directed at you. It's… I am kinda awkward around people and uh… Well, I can be too much sometimes and I'm boring. Not exactly a good person to share a place with." rambled Aman, now looking away from Kartik's eyes, too embarrassed and not wanting to see the pity in his gaze. He bit his lips and waited for Kartik's response as he stared down on their hands still connected. He could literally feel the warmth flood through him from Kartik's touch. 

"I disagree."


	9. Chapter 9

"What?" asked Aman, looking up, his eyes wide and completely at a loss about why would Kartik say something like this because he knew it himself, his company isn't appreciated by many.

"I said I disagree. I think that you would actually be an amazing roommate." answered Kartik, smiling at him, his voice gentle and soft. 

"What makes you say that?" asked Aman, frowning and looking at Kartik like he had grown another head. For as long as he could remember, Aman had never been the kind of guy who goes after others to make a conversation. He had always avoided people and people in turn avoided him. He didn't know why anyone would be interested in having a conversation with him by interest or sharing a place with him because of the kindness of their heart. 

"First, you're not boring. You may be a little shy and reserved but that only makes you super interesting! Like, I don't know anything about you but I don't know it makes me want to know more about you, you know? It's like the thrill of discovering new secrets about the universe. You can't stop wanting to know more about it. Then, I don't think you're too much. You are just complex, and that's good. It makes you more intriguing. You not wanting to know people or let people know you only means that you're protecting yourself. And that's absolutely not boring. I used to do it too. But the thing is that one day, you meet someone and you just can't push away yourself from them. You haven't stopped smiling since you walked in here, the landlord already loves you more than he has ever loved me, clearly. And I am an awesome person, as you know now and I can also definitely tell you won't actually mind sharing this place with me. Your heart eyes don't lie. Now, why would you walk away from something that makes you this comfortable and good?" 

"I have been running away from happiness for as long as I can remember." answered Aman, surprising himself with how easy it felt for him to open up to Kartik, someone he had only known for a few hours. Kartik's smile remained, but Aman noticed a hint of sadness in it and understanding in his eyes. 

"Then stop running, Aman. You know, you can run away from pain and heartbreak. But you also have to make sure you don't run from joy as well." said Kartik, serious and his hold on Aman's hand tightening. 

Aman knew Kartik was right. He had been told this already by many people but he had always ignored them. Because they had never known him. But now, he didn't know why but he felt like, somehow, Kartik knew more things about Aman than he knew himself. Somehow, Kartik's words felt more like comfort than reproach. 

"But if you really don't want to, that's totally okay. I'm sorry if I am pushing too much, I get so invested in people's lives sometimes. If you want to look somewhere else, I can help. My landlord knows a lot of people and he can help too. I can do the whole checking up the place thing, to see if everything is okay before you move there. Or if we do find a place for you to share it with someone, I'll do the whole background check on that person so you don't have to worry about it. It's your choice, really." continued Kartik, his words kind and his gaze gentle, his hand still holding Aman's hand reassuringly. Aman felt his heart flutter by how kind Kartik actually was. He didn't know why Kartik's care didn't make Aman run away or push Kartik away but whatever this was, it made him feel nice to know that Kartik actually cared about him. 

He stared at Kartik for a few seconds, silent, not understanding the chaos taking place in his mind and his heart, only to have Kartik smile at him and he felt his own lips moving, and he was smiling back before he could even stop it. As if was merely a natural reaction his body was doing on which Aman had zero control. 

"I… I'll have to think about it. And you're right. This place and the neighborhood seems like a good reason to move in here but I need time to think it through." answered Aman, and Kartik smirked. 

"Only the place and the neighborhood, uh?" asked Kartik, his eyes shining with teasing and amusement, and Aman giggled. 

"Shut up." said Aman while he felt himself relaxing and his heart clenched when he saw Kartik laughing, his shoulders shaking and his eyes staring at Aman with something he couldn't describe. 

Kartik took his hand away and Aman immediately missed his touch, the warmth skin against his, the gentle feel of Kartik's hand on his. 

Kartik sighed happily and leaned back against the couch they were sitting, with a content smile on his face. Aman was gonna ask about the triangle tattoo Kartik had on his neck when something Kartik had said came back to his mind. 

"Wait, what you mean "heart eyes"? " asked Aman, frowning at Kartik and probably, definitely blushing when Kartik turned his head to look at him with a small yet amused smile on his face. 

"You don't have to pretend with me you know. I can see right through you. Plus, my gaydar is pretty perfect." answered Kartik, chuckling and winking at him and Aman almost choked. 

"I am not- I wasn't doing heart eyes at you or whatever. I was just- I didn't-" 

Aman mumbled as many words as he could but they simply didn't make sense and he was sure Kartik didn't understand what he was saying either. Aman didn't even know what he was actually trying to say. After a few more attempts, he gave up and looked at Kartik who only stared back at him, one of his eyebrows raised. Aman sighed loudly and groaned. 

"How did you know? I am not exactly… loud about it." whispered Aman, fidgeting with his fingers and looking down at his hands when he felt Kartik's eyes staring into his. 

"It's the little things." answered Kartik. 

"Like what?" asked Aman, looking up and frowning at Kartik, who only looked back at him with the softest and kindest smile ever. Aman was literally melting on the spot. 


	10. Chapter 10

Kartik's gaze made Aman want to look away. He wasn't used to witnessing this much genuine kindness and honest sympathy from a stranger. Kartik's eyes were holding nothing but pure honesty and nothing in his smile or his actions could make Aman think that he was faking it. And Aman couldn't look away. For the first time in a long time, Aman felt the urge to look back into these gentle eyes and caring gaze. So Aman stared back at Kartik and he felt a warm and new, yet lovely feeling flooding in his heart, in his mind, as if all of his cells and the barriers he had built were finally letting someone in in Aman's life, with all his defense mechanisms coming down by only the presence of Kartik's smile and soft eyes. It was both ridiculously surprising and awfully terrifying that whatever Aman was feeling, he had no control over it. The way his body reacted when Kartik touches him, when his hands hold Aman's or when his fingers gently caress the back of Aman's hand, he immediately feels that weird yet beautiful and new feeling take over him. 

It had been like Aman's soul had left his body and was floating in the air under the sun's light, surrounded by fresh and the purest air. It was scary but also exciting to experience it for the first time ever. It made Aman feel like a stranger in his own body but it also made him discover the feelings and emotions he didn't know he was capable of ever feeling. It felt beautiful. The way his heart raced when he heard Kartik's laughter, or the way his heart fluttered against his chest when he saw Kartik's soft smile and loving eyes staring at him… Aman had never felt this way before. Sure, he had had some crushes on boys when he had been younger. He had experienced his heart clench in his chest for the very first time whenever he had had the chance to stare at his crush at his school, only to look away blushing and somehow afraid when he saw eyes staring back at him. He had felt his body respond in the strangest way when the hand of a boy he used to like brush the back of his hand when they walked side to side. Aman had experienced first crushes and unrequited feelings and one side loves. But those feelings had only brought him pain and guilt and fear and shame. Because no one had ever reciprocated his feelings and he had never seen anyone act the way he did and feel the way he felt around boys. No one had ever understood him. 

But this… Whatever he was feeling right now, only a few hours of being in Kartik's company, who was full of joy and kindness, it felt strangely familiar and new at the same time. It scared him but it made him feel nice. The way his body had reacted, the way he had smiled helplessly when he saw Kartik smile at him, the way his heart had beaten when he felt Kartik's eyes on him… All of these felt a lot more different and just  _ more _ of all of the things he had felt in his life before. He felt Kartik pull him, toward himself, toward his crazy and happy bubble and Aman didn't even want to fight it. He felt lost but not lonely. He felt terrified but not ashamed. He felt different but not guilty. He felt lighter. 

"The way you stare at me." 

Once again, he pulled himself away from his thoughts when Kartik's voice reached him. His voice was soft and gentle as always but Aman noticed something else in his gentle gaze and heard something different in his voice : astonishment, wonder. As if Kartik couldn't believe that someone was looking at him the way apparently Aman stares at him. 

"What?" asked Aman, the only eloquent word he was currently able to form. His mind was racing with unanswerable questions and Aman felt himself freeze when Kartik moved closer. The couch moved under them and Aman swallowed when one of Kartik's knee touched the side of his leg. 

"Your eyes widen and they shine with surprise and bewilderment. As if you were caught off guard or something. Then sometimes, you look at me like you stare at a sky full of stars, with wonder and curiosity. As if you're trying to read into my soul. No one has looked at me this way before. If you tell me you look at everyone else like this, I'm gonna get jealous." said Kartik, his unbelieving smile turning into a pout and soft gaze turning into a teasing glint. 

Aman chuckled and shook his head. 

"I don't." whispered Aman and Kartik raised his eyebrows at him while a content smirk appeared on his lips. 

"I mean… You're quite…" started Aman, unable to find the right words to describe Kartik. 

"... Amazing ? Gorgeous? Dashing? Perfect? Brilliant?" continued Kartik, his smirk transforming into a beautiful, confident smile. Aman rolled his eyes and smiled back. 

" I was gonna say surprising, but okay." answered Aman, shrugging. 

"That's still a compliment so I am gonna take it." replied Kartik, tilting his head and smiling brightly at Aman. Aman felt like the sun was shining at him through Kartik's beautiful smile. 

"There are also two more things that let me know that you were definitely interested in my wonderful personality and beauty." said Kartik, his smile widening as he wiggled his eyebrows at Aman. Aman frowned and raised one of his eyebrows at Kartik when he noticed the teasing glint in Kartik's eyes again. 

"First…" started Kartik but instead of carrying on with his sentence, his hand found itself on Aman's hand, again. And the exact same thing happened again : Aman froze, he felt the same warmth take over his whole body and his heart skipped a beat, fluttered against his chest in the strangest and most beautiful way and he felt the air leave his lungs. Everything stopped and frustratingly, Aman's full attention was now on Kartik's hand which was now covering the back of Aman's hand. He looked down and saw Kartik's soft and gentle fingers move on his hand until they reached his wrist, circling themselves around it. Aman looked up and held his breath. Kartik's fingers curled around Aman's wrist and Kartik smiled and Aman felt like he was struck by lightning. A buzzy feeling went through his entire body. He felt dizzy and hot, his cheeks were burning and his eyes only stared into Kartik's eyes when Kartik got even closer, his face now only a few inches away from Aman's. He could almost feel Kartik's breath against his lips… He definitely felt Kartik's breath caress the side of his face as Kartik whispered the next words. 

"... When I treated your wound, I took your pulse." 


	11. Chapter 11

"It was racing. Exactly the same way it is right now." 

" _Oh_." whispered Aman, looking down again and seeing one of Kartik's fingers over his pulse point. By the way his heart was beating, Aman couldn't even imagine how his pulse might be right now. 

"Oh, indeed." said Kartik, chuckling, backing away from Aman, smirking. His hand left Aman's wrist and the warmth touch of his skin disappeared. Aman instantly missed it, obviously. 

Kartik leaned against the couch, his back resting against it, his arm draped on top of the couch. He was smiling at Aman, gently and beautifully as his lovely eyes found Aman's. Aman was shamelessly getting lost in Kartik's eyes and he didn't even want to look away. A few seconds of comfortable silence passed when none of them spoke and their eyes were still on each other. Aman was now smiling too, without even noticing it by himself, and the sparkle in Kartik's gaze made him speechless. They were getting lost into each other's gaze when a knock came from the other side of the main door. Aman snapped back to reality and Kartik glared at the door, behind Aman's shoulder and threw his head back on the couch, groaning. 

"Open the door, Kartik!" yelled the landlord, from behind the door, knocking again. 

"I hate him. Always barging in at the wrong moment." mumbled Kartik, shaking his head as he threw his legs down on the floor from the couch. "I'll be right back." said Kartik, looking down at Aman with an apologetic smile, his hand moving to the back of his neck. 

"Alright." replied Aman, smiling up at him. 

Kartik walked away and Aman's eyes followed him. Kartik opened the door and he didn't even have the time to say a word, the landlord pushed Kartik out of his way and walked in.

"Hey! What are you doing?" exclaimed Kartik, glaring at his landlord's back as he walked inside of Kartik's place. Kartik was frowning at his landlord's back, one of his hands on his hips. He closed the door and walked back to the couch. The landlord was already sitting on the couch, next to Aman, at the place Kartik sat a few minutes ago. Kartik stood in front of the couch, looking down at Aman and the landlord, but he was mostly just glaring at his landlord. 

"That's my spot. I was sitting there." said Kartik. 

The landlord looked up at Kartik and glared back. 

"Don't you have anywhere else to sit? Go away. I'm here to speak to Aman, not to you." said the old man, without paying any attention to Kartik's dramatic gasp and widened eyes and opened mouth and shocking expression. Aman wanted to laugh but he looked at the landlord as the landlord's attention shifted to Aman. Kartik huffed and walked away, he grabbed a chair, dragged it in front of the couch and sat down on it. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he was still glaring at the landlord, pouting. 

"Are you okay, Aman ? Is your wound cleaned up now?" asked the landlord, looking at him, his eyes filled with worry. 

"Yes, sir. Kartik took care of it." answered Aman, his eyes going from the landlord to Kartik. As soon as Aman's eyes landed on him, Kartik's pout and glare disappeared, a wide smile and a proud and happy glint making an appearance in his brown eyes. 

"He did? Good, good. Now tell me, he hasn't been troubling you too much, has he?" asked the old man, looking at Kartik with the side of his eyes while talking to Aman. 

Kartik frowned again and whispered, quite loudly : "Everything was going fine until you showed up." He was glaring again and the landlord's hand moved to hit Kartik on his knee. 

"Ouch. Stop hitting me!" yelped Kartik, rubbing his knee, pouting. 

"Ignore his rude self. He's terrible." whispered the landlord at Aman and Aman chuckled when Kartik gasped again. 

"Who are you calling "terrible" ? You're the one who interrupted our conversation!" said Kartik, pointing a finger at his landlord's direction. 

The landlord ignored him, rolling his eyes, turning his head toward Aman. 

"You tell me, did I interrupt something?" asked the landlord, lifting his hands and doing the quoting signs with his fingers, in the air. 

"No, it's nothing like that. We were just talking." said Aman, smiling at the landlord when the old man smiled back at him, winking at him. 

And Kartik yelped, again. 

"We were just talking?! You're breaking my heart, Aman. You're taking his side." exclaimed Kartik, his eyes widening, his hands placed in front of his chest. 

Aman giggled at Kartik's dramatics and Kartik immediately smiled, sighing and staring at Aman with soft eyes. 

"Don't be so dramatic, idiot. There are some sweets I made, in the kitchen. Go and get them, so we can eat." said the landlord, his hand gesturing toward the door and directing his request at Kartik. Kartik huffed and shook his head, leaning his back against the chair he was sitting on. 

"Why didn't you bring them with you? You could have." answered Kartik, frowning at his landlord and the old man clicked his tongue at Kartik. 

"Because I was tired, that's why I didn't bring them with me. Go and get them. I'm hungry. Aman can have them too." replied the landlord, nodding at Aman with a gentle gaze, then, his stare went back to Kartik. "Go. What are you waiting for?" 

"I'm not going. I'm mad at the both of you." said Kartik, pouting and looking down.

"This kid… Get up and go!" said the landlord, glaring at Kartik's head. 

"No." 

"Kartik." 

"Nope." 

"Get up, idiot." 

"Not doing that." said Kartik, shaking his head and looking up at the landlord and sticking his tongue out at him. Aman looked back and forth between the two of them and he smiled at their ridiculously funny banter. 

"Argh. Go !" said the old man, again, an amused smile forming on his face even if he tried to stop it. 

Kartik smiled and shook his head. 

"I won't." answered Kartik, looking away from his landlord, to stare at his balcony. 

"I made them. They are delicious. You'll love them. Go and get them!" said the landlord. A few seconds of silence passed between the two men and when Aman thought Kartik was going to give in, he refused again. 

"No, I won't." 

"They're really delicious, Kartik. Don't you love sweets?" 

"Don't try to use my weakness against me. I am not going." replied Kartik, shrugging, his head still turned away from them. 

"Well, then. I guess we're not eating laddoos." said the landlord, sighing. Kartik turned his head toward them so quickly Aman thought it was going to cause Kartik a whiplash. His eyes were now wide with excitement and happiness, his smile was wide and beautiful. He was out of his chair and standing the next second. 

"Why didn't you start with that, old man?!" exclaimed Kartik and he ran away. 

Aman laughed and Kartik's landlord giggled, watching Kartik's back. Kartik stopped running when he reached the door and came back running in front of the couch, to look down at Aman. 

"I'll be right back, okay?" said Kartik and Aman smiled, looking up at Kartik and nodding silently. "And you. Don't say anything bad about me while I am gone." said Kartik, his finger pointing at the landlord, glaring. Then, his glare disappeared and he smiled, looking down at the old man with joy. The next second, he bent down, took his landlord's face between his palms and kissed him on one of his cheeks, loudly. Then, he run away. The landlord grimaced and wiped away with his hand the place where Kartik had kissed him. 

"I hate you!" yelled the landlord, glaring at Kartik's back which disappeared from the door. Then Kartik's voice reached the place even if he wasn't in the room next to them. 

"I love you too! Muah!" 

The landlord chuckled, shaking his head, amused, a fond smile on his face and a happy glint in his green eyes. He raised his head and looked at Aman. Aman smiled at him. 

"Now tell me, Aman. How long have you been in Delhi? You don't seem familiar to me." said the landlord. 

"I just came here a few days ago, sir." answered Aman. 

"Don't call me "Sir", it makes me feel older than I already am. You can call me "Uncle" or even better, call me "Dev". said the landlord. 

"Alright, I'm gonna stick with "Uncle", I think." replied Aman, smiling kindly at the landlord. 

"Good, good. Tell me more about you, son. Where are you from?" asked the old man, with a gentle voice and kind and curious gaze. 


	12. Chapter 12

"I come from Allahabad. I have lived in my parent's house ever since I can remember. But lately… I just wanted a change of place and space and needed the time to focus on myself. So I moved out." explained Aman, looking down, guilt taking place in his heart even if he didn't want it to. Aman knew that leaving his parents and his weird family behind wasn't ideal but he needed this. 

"Don't feel guilty about it, son. Sometimes you need to take some time for yourself, away from everyone you know, to get to know yourself better and to find yourself." said the landlord, with sympathy in his eyes, his voice filled with compassion. He brought one of his hands up and put it on Aman's shoulder, offering him some comfort. "Family can be overwhelming sometimes. You can stay away from them a little bit for your own sanity. It's not like you're completely cutting off your relationships with them. You are just here for yourself. Your family will still be there, waiting for you. You can always go back to them whenever you feel like it."

Aman felt some kind of peace by hearing the landlord's words. He knew it deep down that he didn't have to feel guilty for taking some space for himself, away from his family. He desperately needed it. But another part of him thought that this was all stupid because he wasn't going to be able to survive on his own. He didn't know anyone here. He was alone. Plus, he missed them. His mother still called him every few hours, his father also talked to him. Goggle and Keshav texted him constantly. Chaman Chacha and Champa Aunty called him too. He missed them and he knew they missed him too. He also knew he hurt them when he moved out. But Aman needed this. He might miss them but being away from their overwhelming presence and pressure was kind of freeing and peaceful. He could finally think and hear his own thoughts without feeling he was being watched 24/7.

Something being dropped and hitting the ground brought him back from his thoughts and Aman turned his eyes toward the door, which was left open when Kartik left the place. 

"Hey! What are you breaking in my kitchen??!" yelled Dev, looking toward the door. 

"Nothing! Everything is fine!" yelled back Kartik, from downstairs. 

"He's gonna destroy my place one day, this kid." complained the landlord, shaking his head with irritation and amusement at the same time, with a tiny smile appearing on his face. 

"As I was saying, it's okay, Aman. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Figure yourself out first, then you can go back to them when you're ready. There is no need to feel bad or guilty about something you're doing for your own good." said the landlord, with a kind smile and firm yet gentle voice. 

Aman wanted to tell him that he would be ready to go back to his family with his real self but that he knew that his family, mostly his parents, wouldn't ever be ready to accept him completely. But he didn't speak his thoughts out loud, so he said this instead : 

"I know, uncle. It's just that I am on my own and alone for the first time. So it feels a little too much." 

"Who said you're alone? We are here!" said the landlord, smiling at him and Aman couldn't help but to smile back, overwhelmed and grateful for the kindness he was getting from the old man. 

"Thank you, uncle." replied Aman, his heart warming up with gratitude. 

"You're telling me you've moved to Delhi only a few days ago. Did you find yourself a place to stay?" asked the landlord, frowning in concern and curiosity. 

"No, not yet. I am staying at a hotel right now. I'm looking for a place and well… I haven't decided yet, but Kartik told me that-" 

"that we're looking for a tenant? Yes, we are. Are you interested?" asked the landlord, smiling at him. Aman fidgeted with his fingers. 

"Uh… Kartik told me about the place and the neighborhood. It seems quite nice. But… I haven't decided anything yet." answered Aman. 

"Has Kartik pushed too much?" asked the man, frowning. 

"No, no. Nothing like that. He gave me pretty much all the good reasons to pick this place and he seems nice too, so sharing this place with him won't be exactly a trouble…" 

"You say that now. Try to live with him for a few days, you will probably run away screaming like every other person who has tried to stay as a roommate to Kartik." replied the landlord, laughing and Aman chuckled. "He can be too much for some people but he's a very good guy and he has the kindest heart. Not everyone can see through his dramatic self." continued the landlord, smiling gently at Aman. 

"Yeah. He seems… interesting." said Aman, looking down at his lap so the landlord doesn't see his obvious cheeks turning red. 

"That's an understatement." said the landlord, chuckling. 

"So if this neighborhood and Kartik aren't the reasons which are stopping you from making the decision, what is?" asked the old man, raising his eyebrows at Aman, tilting his head to the side. 

"I haven't actually shared a place with anyone before. So… I don't know. What if I do something wrong?" asked Aman, his mind going through a million scenarios on how this could go wrong, about the different possibilities of him messing up this. 

"I don't think that's gonna happen. You seem like a really serious guy and a good one. Plus even if you did something wrong and offended me, I feel like Kartik would take your side and yell at me. I don't think he would let you go away that easily. He seems really attached to you already." said the landlord, winking at him with twinkling eyes and grinning at him. Aman shook his head, his smile growing wide. 

"Listen, I know this must be pretty stressful. You are in a new place with new people, unknown and strangers. It must be pretty exciting and quite scary. I understand. But you know when people say that when an opportunity shows itself at your door, to seize it? You should think about that. And if you decide that you don't want this place, you can tell me. I have many other places, some of them are vacant and you can stay there alone, without having to share it with anyone. If that's what you are looking for." continued the man, with a kind smile and gentle gaze, looking at Aman. 

"Wait, you own more places?" asked Aman, staring at the landlord with wide and questioning eyes. 

"Yes, I do. I have been in this business for years now. With time, you expand it." answered the old man, nodding at Aman. "It was a family business. My dad used to own places and he rented them. I used to help him with it. When I… detached myself from my family, I started my own business."

As Dev explained, even if his smile was proud and joyful, Aman noticed sadness and some kind of regret in his green eyes. 

"Wasn't it hard? To start a new business all on your own?" asked Aman, pulling the landlord from his thoughts. 

"It was complicated and challenging at the beginning,yes. But I had some help." answered the man, his smile turning soft and this time, Aman saw something else in the old man's eyes : longing. Before Aman could ask more, Kartik barged in, stepped in front of them, his hands holding two silver plates. 

"I am back." said Kartik, standing in front of them. He put down the plates on the couch, between Aman and the landlord, and Kartik sat down on the chair, facing them with a beautiful smile. 


	13. Chapter 13

"What took you so long?" asked the landlord, looking up at Kartik, one of his eyebrows raised at him. 

"Your kitchen is a mess. I can't even walk around in there without bumping into something." complained Kartik. 

"Did you break something? Because if you did, I swear, you're paying for it." answered the old man and Aman saw and heard Kartik gasp. 

"Excuse me? You know, if you keep your kitchen clean from time to time, I wouldn't break anything." answered Kartik, shrugging and leaning back against his chair. 

"Oh really? Tell me, if I spend half of my day cleaning your place, where would I find the time to clean my own house?" asked the landlord, smiling innocently at Kartik but with a glint of teasing in his eyes. When Kartik heard Aman chuckle, he pouted at him then glared at his landlord. 

"Don't be mean, Dev. I didn't even break anything this time. I just stumbled on a few silver bowls you keep on the floor." replied Kartik and the landlord hummed, as Aman watched their exchange with amusement. 

"Here, Aman. Have some ladoos." said the old man and handed him a plate of dozens of sweets. "The other ones are for me, they're sugar free." replied the landlord, gesturing to the other plate on the couch. 

"Thank you, Uncle." said Aman, smiling softly and picking up a ladoo from the plate.

"Take some more, son." 

"Uncle? Son? I disappeared for five minutes and you have already bonded?" asked Kartik, his eyes moving between Aman and his landlord. 

"Of course. Aman isn't like you. I like him instantly. He is so respectful and kind. And then, there is you." said the landlord, rolling his eyes at Kartik, then smirking at Aman, who giggled at Kartik's offended expression. Kartik opened his mouth to say something but the landlord interrupted him. 

"Don't mind him. Here, have some more. They are really good." 

"No, it's okay, uncle. One is enough. I don't eat too much sweets anyway." said Aman. 

"You don't? That's okay. Give those to me." replied Kartik and moved his hands forward to take the plate from his landlord, but Dev swatted his hands away. "I didn't make them for you. Don't touch." 

"So what are you gonna do with the rest of the sweets?" asked Kartik, frowning. 

"I can give them to the others." answered Dev, shrugging and Kartik glared. 

"Nope. No one is worthy enough to eat your homemade delicious ladoos more than me." answered Kartik, and he yanked the plate away from the old man's hands who huffed and rolled his eyes at Kartik, a little smile forming on his lips. 

"Are you sure you don't want some? You don't mind?" asked Kartik, to Aman, and he smiled. 

"No, I don't mind. You can have them all." 

Kartik smiled at him, widely and took one ladoo from the plate. And he didn't even bite on it, he put it in his mouth all at once. Aman shook his head, fond and amused, and the landlord sighed. 

"You are a lost cause." 

"Hey, what did you do with Aman's dirty clothes? Did you put them in the washing machine?" asked the landlord, addressing his question to Kartik. 

Kartik widened his eyes comically and he stopped chewing. His mouth was full and he looked hilarious. He stared at his landlord and shook his head, silently. The landlord sighed. 

"I'm gonna do it, then." said the old man, getting up from the couch with a groan. He took two ladoos from his own plate and started to walk away a little bit. 

"I am sorry. I forgot to mention it to Kartik. They are on the bathroom floor, I didn't want to put them in the laundry basket or on a chair and ruin the other clothes… I can help if you want." said Aman, standing up from the couch. The moment he did, Kartik made a noise, his mouth still full of ladoos and he whined, shaking his head multiple times. The landlord looked at Kartik and laughed. He turned to Aman and smiled at him. 

"It's no problem, son. You're the guest. You sit down, I'll be back. It will only take me a few minutes. Sit down, sit down." replied the landlord, then he turned and walked away and Aman sat down on the couch. 

As soon as the landlord walked away, Kartik stood up and he put the plate he was holding, and the landlord's plate on the chair he was sitting on a few seconds ago. Then, he sat down next to Aman on the couch. Kartik swallowed down what he was chewing and looked at Aman. 

"So, you're getting along with Dev quite well." said Kartik, bumbling his shoulder with Aman's. 

"He is amazing." replied Aman, smiling at Kartik. "Have you known him for a long time?" 

"Yeah, I guess. It has been more than five years. I came to this place when I really needed it and I haven't left ever since. He's great. Sometimes I feel like he takes care of me more than I take care of myself. But don't tell him that. It will get to his head and I will never hear the end of it. "said Kartik and he shuddered, leaning against the couch,and smiling at Aman. Aman shook his head and smiled back. 

A moment passed between them where none of them spoke. Kartik took back his plate of ladoos he had put on the chair and happily went back to eating them. Aman didn't even feel awkward by their silence. Aman stared at him a few times when he had the chance. The sun's light shined through the window and landed on Kartik's face. His profile was breathtaking. His nose ring sparkled under the shining morning's light and Kartik looked as ethereal as a God. Aman never wanted to look away. And whenever Kartik caught his eyes by turning his head to look at Aman, Aman looked away. Kartik grinned and went back to eating. A few minutes went by where they stared at each other for a few seconds, caught the other one staring by surprise, smiled and stayed quiet. Then Aman remembered something that Kartik had said earlier. 

"What is the second thing?" asked Aman, breaking the silence. 

Kartik was swallowing his 6th or 7th ladoo and he turned his head to stare at Aman with a frown. He raised his eyebrows at Aman, questioning him silently. Aman waved his hand in front of him, gesturing in the air as he asked again. 

"You said you knew I was… That I was… I mean … You said that you knew about me when you noticed two things about me. You never said what the second thing was." 

Kartik hummed and silently nodded and chewed the last part of his laddoo really quick before speaking up. 

"Are you sure you want to know?" asked Kartik, smirking at Aman, his eyes twinkling with tease, tilting his head to the side and staring at Aman. 

"Uh… Yeah." answered Aman, feeling like whatever Kartik was going to say would be either funny or ridiculous. Or maybe both. 

"Come closer." said Kartik gesturing his hand at him, asking him to reduce the space between them. 

Aman frowned while Kartik winked at him, grinning. 

Biting his lips, Aman moved closer to where Kartik was sitting. 

"Now, tell me." said Aman, desperately trying to keep his heart beat and racing mind in control as their shoulders brushed together. Kartik's leg was almost touching Aman's and he didn't know if he wanted to move away to stop the feeling of electricity running through his whole body, or if he wanted to scoot closer to Kartik to feel more of that feeling. He remained still as Kartik's head moved closer toward him. He held his breath as Kartik brought his hand toward Aman's face and stilled in the air, a few millimeters away from Aman's chin. 

"Can I?" asked Kartik, whispering, his eyes moving to stare at his own hand stranding still in front of Aman's chin, to go back to staring into Aman's eyes. 

Aman couldn't speak a word even if he tried the hardest, his tongue was tied in a knot and his throat was dry while his whole focus was on Kartik. He gulped and nodded, silent. Kartik's hand touched Aman's chin and his fingers traced his skin as Kartik turned Aman's head to the other side. 

Oh God. Aman was dying. 

When Kartik's breathing caressed Aman's ear, he closed his eyes. A few seconds of silence passed and then Kartik spoke up. 

"When I fell on you at the market…" whispered Kartik, in his ear. 

Aman stilled and his heart literally stopped beating because of how soft Kartik's voice sounded when he was so close to him. He was barely listening to what Kartik was saying but he tried his best. Concentrating while Kartik was so close to him was complicated and nearly impossible. Aman focused, with the little strength he had left and held on, waiting for Kartik to finish his sentence. 

"When your eyes landed on me and saw me for the first time…" continued Kartik, stopping his sentence, and Aman could feel Kartik's smirk growing wide even if he couldn't see his face. Aman just wanted this to be over, even if, deep down he wanted something else, so he could finally breathe without feeling as if he was suffocating, but in a nice way. It felt weird. But nice. But then, Kartik whispered the next words and Aman wanted to dig himself deep in the ground. 

"It grew big." 

Aman snapped his eyes open, wide, and turned his head toward Kartik in a second. Kartik threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably. 


	14. Finale chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, finale chapter. Oh my God. Guys. This has been an amazing journey with you all. I thank each and every one of you for the comments and the kudos you've left for this work. It gave me motivation and effort to continue this fanfiction when I just didn't feel like continuing it. You're all amazing. Seriously. Thank you so so so much for your kind comments and incredible support. Writing this fic and sharing it with you has been a fantastic experience. I am very happy with how many of you showed love to this work and how much you loved Dev. He loves you all back too ♥️.
> 
> This fic wouldn't be what it is without my amazing beta, who constantly deals with my breakdowns and take the time to edit every chapter to make sure it's at its best. Cherry, I fucking love you. 
> 
> Alright. Without further delay, I present you the last chapter. 
> 
> Happy reading and again, thank you so much for taking the time to to give this fic a chance.
> 
> (I'm gonna cry now).

"What??! I… It didn't!!" spluttered Aman, his cheeks flushing as he glared at Kartik who was still snickering. His shoulders were shaking as he laughed loudly, wiping the tears away from his twinkling eyes. 

"I meant "they". They grew big! Your eyes. When you saw me for the first time, your eyes grew wide." explained Kartik, giggling, leaning against the couch and winking at Aman. Aman huffed and shook his head. 

"You're an idiot." said Aman, glaring at Kartik who only giggled even more, his hand coming up to rest against his chest as he, at least, tried to control his laughter. 

"You should have seen your face." said Kartik, going through another fit of laughter as Aman kept glaring at him. 

Aman felt his own smile appearing on his face at the sight of Kartik laughing happily and freely, but he fought it off. Kartik kept laughing for another few seconds, then he calmed down. He was now breathless, his cheeks flushed and his eyes were sparkling. He let his head fall back on the couch and turned his head to the side to stare at Aman with a huge and happy smile. Aman rolled his eyes at him. 

"You're such an ass." complained Aman, chuckling and shaking his head, amused and annoyed, but mostly pleased. Kartik smirked again, the sparkle of tease and dare returning to his brown eyes, and the alarm sign went off in Aman's head again. 

"Well, actually, I do have a pretty-" Kartik started but was interrupted and threw his head back to laugh when Aman threw a pillow at his face. 

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." threatened Aman, pointing a finger at Kartik, trying to glare at Kartik but he ended up chuckling even if he bit down on his lips to prevent his smile from making an appearance. 

When Kartik giggled again, Aman rolled his eyes, sighing and moved away from Kartik, at the end of the couch, his arms crossed his front of his chest, as he forced himself not to turn his head to the side, to look at Kartik. Not a second passed, Kartik appeared next to him, the distance between them gone in a flash. Aman turned his head away and stayed silent. A few seconds later, a laddoo appeared in front of his eyes. He looked down, frowning at the laddoo Kartik was holding between his fingers. 

"Peace offering? 

Kartik's voice was even softer and sweet and Aman just couldn't stop himself from turning his head and looking at him. Kartik was staring at him with a king smile and Aman could notice an apologetic glint in his soft brown eyes. He looked genuinely sorry. Aman pretended to still be upset at Kartik even if all he wanted to do was to make the worry disappear from Kartik's eyes. But he decided otherwise and decided to tease him a little bit. 

"I don't want your peace offering." said Aman, shaking his head at Kartik and shrugging. 

"You don't say no to a peace offering, Aman." answered Kartik, pouting, still holding his ladoo in front of Aman. Aman cleared his throat, but stayed silent as he stared at Kartik. 

"I didn't mean to offend you." said Kartik, his voice gentle, kind and soft. "I'm sorry if I did." 

Aman looked at Kartik, one of his eyebrows raised, as he looked down between the ladoo and the expression on Kartik's face. Kartik was biting his lips and he looked sorry and honest and Aman couldn't keep it anymore. He chucked, his offended look disappearing in an instant as his lips formed a teasing smile. He took the ladooo from Kartik's hand and watched Kartik frowning in confusion at the sudden change of expression on Aman's face. As Aman's smile widened, realization dawned on Kartik. Kartik released a sigh, his shoulders dropping in relief as he chuckled, shaking his head fondly. 

"You were messing with me, weren't you?" asked Kartik, his eyes now shining with relief and joy. He was smiling at Aman and Aman couldn't help but to stare back at him with a tiny smile of his own. Kartik stared at him, silent for a few seconds and Aman noticed a change in Kartik's brown eyes, something which he hadn't seen before, something which made him feel curious and at the same time, made him feel like Kartik was staring right into his soul. 

"What?" asked Aman, whispering, not trusting his voice to be firm enough to be loud. Kartik stayed silent, his eyes boring into Aman's. 

"Nothing." whispered back, Kartik, his eyes never looking away from him as he smiled softly at Aman. Aman swallowed and looked down. 

"Eat the sweet." said Kartik, looking away but his smile still present on his face. 

"It's the last one. Are you sure you don't want it?" asked Aman, frowning at Kartik. Kartik chuckled and shook his head. 

"No, take it. People say that if you give the last piece of food to someone, it will bring them good luck. So, have it. It's yours." answered Kartik, smiling kindly at him and Aman felt warmth flooding in his chest. 

"Really? I have never heard anything like that before." said Aman, smiling. 

"I actually heard it in a TV show." answered Kartik, smiling, and Aman chuckled. 

"Thank you." replied Aman, throwing a smile at Kartik. 

"You're welcome." answered Kartik, winking at Aman. 

Aman bit down on his ladoo and started eating. 

Kartik pushed the chair with his leg and placed it to the side of the couch. He put his empty plate under his landlord's plate, which was still full of ladoos. Kartik sighed and leaned back against the couch as Aman swallowed down the last piece of his sweet. 

A few seconds later, the landlord came out of the bathroom. 

"He didn't trouble you much while I was gone, did he?" asked the landlord, walking toward them, frowning at Kartik when he reached the couch. 

"Of course not-" started to speak Kartik but Aman interrupted him. 

"Just a little bit. But I managed." answered Aman, smiling when Kartik's mouth opened in a silent gasp. The landlord stared down at the both of them and laughed. 

"I like you, Aman. I feel like we're gonna be good friends." said Dev and Aman smiled up brightly at him, feeling his heart warm up. 

"You're both ganging up against me and I don't like it." replied Kartik, pouting and whining. 

"Get used to it. Now, move away." said the landlord, his order addressed at Kartik. 

"Why?" asked Kartik, frowning and looking up at Dev. 

"Here, uncle. Sit down." said Aman, moving away from Kartik until he reached the side of the couch, making place between himself and Kartik. 

Kartik's offended gaze and opened mouth was the last thing Aman saw before the landlord sat down between the two of them. 

"Thank you, Aman." said Dev, smiling softly at him and Aman nodded at him, a small smile of his own appearing on his face. 

"Couldn't you sit somewhere else? I was sitting next to him!" exclaimed Kartik. Aman couldn't see his face but he knew Kartik was glaring daggers at the poor old man.

"You have been speaking to him ever since he arrived here, you idiot. Let me spend some time with him before he goes back to his place." replied the landlord. 

"Mmph." mumbled Kartik under his breath, then he groaned. 

A few minutes passed between them where the conversation took off between the landlord and Aman, and Kartik would speak out to give some comments or to make fun of Dev. They talked, laughed and fought (mostly Kartik and Dev did the last part) but Aman felt happy. 

"Hey! It's 1pm, already! Put on the TV, put on the TV!" exclaimed Kartik. 

Aman frowned in confusion while the landlord groaned and got up from the couch to walk toward the TV stand which was in front of them. 

"It's some kind of a ritual, for him." said the landlord, gesturing at Kartik with the remote of the TV he was holding. He walked back to them and sat down on the couch between Aman and Kartik. 

"What ritual?" asked Aman. Kartik leaned forward from where he was sitting so that Aman could see him. 

"Sholey is my favorite movie. Ever since I've moved here, we decided to watch it every week. All Sundays!" explained Kartik with a happy and proud smile. 

"You mean, you decided." mumbled Dev, under his breath. Kartik frowned at him and shoved him by the shoulder. 

"Every week? Isn't that a bit too much?" asked Aman, chuckling when the landlord nodded at him with a frown and Kartik shook his head with a wide smile. 

"I would watch that movie every day of my life if I could and I would never complain." said Kartik, with a dreamy sigh. 

"Oh, God forbid." groaned the landlord, shaking his head. Kartik glared at him. 

"If you say so. I've never watched it." said Aman, shrugging and smiled. He frowned when the shock on Kartik's face was so evident, and when he gasped and stared at Aman with wide eyes. 

"What??! Then you have to, you need to stay here and watch the movie with us!" exclaimed Kartik with a huge smile on his face as he looked at Aman with hope flickering in his eyes.

"Don't be an idiot, Kartik. Aman just arrived here. He must have so much to do. Don't waste his time." replied the landlord but Kartik ignored him completely. He was only gazing at Aman with his eyes filled with hope and happiness, one of his eyebrows raised at Aman, his lips curving into a soft and sweet smile. 

"Stay?" asked Kartik, with the kindest and purest voice, and Aman didn't know what to do. 

Technically, the landlord was right. He had so much to do and Aman had always been the kind of person to get things done without any delay. He had never procrastinated the work he had to do on time. He liked to finish his tasks as quickly as possible. He didn't like distractions. But right now, nothing else seemed to matter to him anymore. Not while he stared into Kartik's brown, beautiful eyes which were full of life and staring back at him with intensity. Aman didn't even like watching movies with other people. He had always re-watched movies alone, in his room, because watching movies with his family or in a theater full of people wasn't ideal for Aman. 

But now that he was staring into Kartik's hopeful eyes and at the landlord's inviting smile, Aman didn't want to walk away from this. It wouldn't matter if Kartik starts to scream while the movie is playing or if the landlord and him get into a fight. Aman wouldn't leave. Somehow, he felt like this day would be memorable for him, for multiple reasons. He made up his mind and took a deep breath. 

"Okay. I'll stay." said Aman and when Kartik cheered, whooping happily and raising his arms up, Aman had no regrets. The landlord patted him on the shoulder, giving him a kind smile and he leaned back against the couch. Aman saw Kartik smile at him, from next to Dev. He was smiling at him with gratitude and beautifully. He nodded at Aman, silently and Aman nodded back, with a small smile. Kartik leaned back against the couch and put on the TV, searching his movie in the download section. 

And Aman stared at the both of them, at the landlord and at Kartik, but mostly at Kartik. He had only known him for a few hours but Aman swore Kartik felt so familiar to him. He didn't know the reason and he didn't have to. He welcomed that feeling without any complaints. A feeling he had never shared with anyone, a feeling he didn't know existed in the first place. 

While they watched the movie together, Kartik rambled and made comments about every scene from the very beginning. The landlord complained and cursed and Aman simply smiled, laughed and stared. Because for the first time, ever since he had come to Delhi, he felt content and hopeful. Between the very excited and dramatic Kartik and the annoyed yet loving landlord, Aman felt at home, in this place. A home far from home.

A few days later, Aman would visit again and this time, his mind would be clear of all doubts and insecurities. He would accept to live and share the rent with Kartik. Kartik would take the news happily, cheering loudly as the landlord would give him a tight hug, welcoming him into their lives. 

Little did he know now, that this decision would be the best decision he had ever made in his life. Because slowly, love, family and unlimited happiness would follow into his life.Their life. 

And Aman would look back, years later, and he would smile, feeling proud and happy that he didn't let go of the chance to meet two of the most amazing people. He would thank every God for letting love and happiness come into his life in the form of Dev and Kartik.

But especially Kartik. 

Because he would be the one to become the love of Aman's life. 

A love which will make him impossible to run away from as he had done in the past. It would be a love he would run into, blind and hopeful, scared and excited. 

A love which will accept him and welcome him with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, tell me EVERYTHING. I want to know if the ending of this fic made you happy. 
> 
> Also, uh... surprise? There is a part two coming up!!!! Who wants more cute adorable and sappy Aman and Kartik with an amazing, annoyed yet super sweet landlord, Dev??
> 
> It has been written on paper. I just need to write it all back on my phone. Which is gonna take me time. Because I am lazy. Also because I am stuck in ten thousands other fandoms. But... I'll post it. I promise. And I hope you will all love it as much as you loved this little piece of work.
> 
> So, this might be a little goodbye before I come back with part 2 of this fic? I'll try to be back as soon as possible.
> 
> I'm gonna miss y'all. 
> 
> Also, if you wanna chat and cry about Karman (or other ships) come say hi on my Twitter! @lav_malec1951. I'm also on insta lavashngm. But I'm more present on Twitter.
> 
> Okay. Take care everyone. I love you. See you soon.
> 
> ♥️

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts in the comments and leave a kudos if you liked it ♥️


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